


New Resolutions

by chakochick



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, New Earth, RST, Romance, Sex on the Beach, Surprises, UST, resolutions, tropical island, tropical living, tropical paradise, what will happen after?, will they be rescued?, you never know who you're bringing back on board
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:33:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29479983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chakochick/pseuds/chakochick
Summary: So I kind of always wondered why Janeway and Chakotay stayed where they did on New Earth after the plasma storm. Weren't they worried that it might happen again? This is just my silly way to get them somewhere else on the planet...like in the tropics maybe. Just picture JC with coconut milk, swimming in the ocean, much less clothing...you get the idea. :)
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	New Resolutions

“Well that’s one way of letting go,” she turned and spoke to Chakotay, utter despair painted plainly on her face, though she tried to hide it from him. He saw it there, and had no other words to say but an apology. He knew how desperate she was to find a cure for their disease, but now, as he looked across the ground at the broken pieces of traps and computers that lay scattered about, he knew that would never happen.

She excused herself, moving off into the woods to check the rest of her traps, but Chakotay knew she was just collecting them; she had no way of further studying the insects on the planet, now that she’d potentially caught the correct species. Her computer had been destroyed in the plasma storm, and everything was in utter shambles. With a sigh, he watched her walk away before moving back into the dwelling to see what he could salvage.

Kathryn didn’t return for several hours, and when she finally did, Chakotay was on the roof of the shelter, pulling a thick canvas tarp over several of the large gashes in the metal ceiling. She dropped her broken traps in a pile near some other broken items that Chakotay had cleared out of their domicile. “What can I do to help?” She asked gently as he noticed her return.

“Nothing else right now. It’s getting late, and I really wanted to just get the shelter liveable for at least tonight. We can do more damage control tomorrow if you’re up to it.” Chakotay kept his feelings to himself for the most part, offering Kathryn sympathetic smiles and comforting words that first day, but inside he was happy nearly to bursting. He and Kathryn were alive, unharmed by the storm, and aside from the dormant virus, they were both healthy. He could never ask more from the spirits than that. Chakotay didn’t care if they lived in a cave, a hovel or a mansion; as long as he had Kathryn by his side, he was content.

He was, however, heartbroken watching Kathryn deal with her own feelings of loss and despair. He’d held her under the table; the only place that provided a modicum of protection during the plasma bursts and downdrafts. He’d heard her crying out in fear and frustration in equal measure as their world crumbled around them, and when they’d emerged hours later, she’d been dejected and nearly silent as she moved about her destroyed future. He knew that his words and his gestures, comforting though they were meant to be, would not mend Kathryn’s broken heart. Only time would heal those wounds, and Chakotay would do all that he could to make sure those wounds healed smoothly.

Chakotay watched as she nodded with a soft smile and moved back into their shelter without a word. He decided to leave her to her privacy, working outside at cleaning and organizing until the sky was so dark he could no longer see. When Chakotay entered their small dwelling, all was quiet, and the light over Kathryn’s bed was extinguished. While she did often sit up at night to read, she did not tonight. Wishing he could comfort her in some small way, but not knowing how, he retreated to his own sleeping area for the night.

=/\=

Kathryn woke early, a dull headache pulsing behind her temples. With a groan she pulled herself out of bed, but with much less ambition than she had the day before. Everything had changed since the day before. Whereas yesterday she had gotten up with a lightness in her heart as she headed out to check her traps. She’d had a good feeling about the bait she’d used, and had every intention of moving her research forward with the positive results.

Now the only prospect she had for today was cleaning up the rest of the debris that the storm had left in its wake. She had collected all of her destroyed traps from the woods and fields where she’d set them the last few days. Today she figured she would work to try and piece together her computer, though she was sure her attempts would be fruitless.

With another sigh she pulled off her nightgown and dressed in a pale lavender, calf length linen dress and braided her hair before moving out into the main living area.

She was greeted with her computer, already fixed as best as it could be, and a steaming mug of coffee. Chakotay sat at the table, working on fixing one of his sand paintings that had been half ruined by the storm.

She felt instantly guilty for her behavior the day before. She sat down across from Chakotay, an apology forming on her lips, but just as she drew breath to speak, Chakotay picked up the coffee and placed it in front of her. “Good morning, Kathryn. How did you sleep?”

And just like that, she knew there were no hard feelings. He wasn’t upset with her or angry with her. He greeted her with a cup of coffee and a smile, and that told her that no matter what happened yesterday, he was here for her today. 

Soft butterflies fluttered in her stomach as her fingers brushed his as she took the mug from him. Ever since that night when they’d first spotted their little primate friend, she’d really started to notice the way she felt around Chakotay...and the way he looked at her. It was a heady thing, and something she tried not to analyze too hard for fear that it would consume her like a flame, but it was there just the same, always in the background of her thoughts.

It was too early in the day, however, to give serious credence to them now, so she offered another smile as she took a sip of the beverage he’d replicated for her.

They sat in silence for a time; Kathryn sipping her coffee and picking away at her computer...testing out what was working and what was not. The database of information from Voyager was still there, though her own added files were hit and miss. Just as well, she thought to herself.

Chakotay continued working on his painting, but his thoughts and focus were never far from the woman sitting across from him. He kept his attention on her as he cleared a spot of canvas where the colors had blended in the storm, watching her face occasionally to attempt to determine her mood. She seemed to be faring better than yesterday, and for that he was glad. Perhaps she was starting to wrap her mind around the idea that this wasn’t a temporary situation. Though he knew she would fight it with every fiber of her Starfleet being, he hoped that she didn’t find it too horrible a prospect.

He certainly didn’t.

Kathryn got up not long after and replicated herself a bowl of oatmeal, and as she continued to work on her computer, Chakotay decided to survey some more of the damage outside. Clipping his combadge to his vest, he pulled on his boots, “I’m going outside for a bit. Let me know if you need anything.” Kathryn nodded with a smile, curious what he was up to, but deciding that she wouldn’t pry. She figured he didn’t want to actually voice his plans, as it would just make their situation more real to her, and she appreciated his sensitivity in that respect. Though she now knew this was going to be forever, she wasn’t _quite_ ready to actually resign herself to that fact.

She watched him leave, staring at the door for a moment before going back to her own work. She puttered with her computer for a while before deciding to further clean up inside. She swept the floor, cleaned up some of the debris from the trees that had found its way inside, and finally reorganized the dishes, pots and pans that had fallen off their shelves and out of the cabinets.

Deciding to go outside and see if she could be of any help to whatever Chakotay was up to, she pulled on her own shoes and headed out into the sunlight.

Surprised to find him missing from her immediate vantage point, she moved around the perimeter of the shelter, “Chakotay?” There was no answer. She looked through the trees past her bathtub and off towards the meadow. There was still no sign of him. Confused, she tapped her combadge, “Chakotay, where are you?”

“I’m in the shuttle,” came his response. She furrowed her brow, “You should come over here. I have something to discuss with you.”

Utterly at a loss as to what he could be up to, but curious as ever, she headed towards a clearing in the forest where they’d had the shuttle beamed down.

The hatch was open and she could see Chakotay sitting at tactical. Ducking under the entryway, she walked the length of the shuttle to sit beside him, “What in the world are you up to?”

Chakotay studied the screen for another moment, keying in several commands before looking over at Kathryn. “Well, I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“And some surveying by the look of it,” she could see a map pulled up at his console. He nodded.

“Yes. After the storm yesterday, I got to thinking. If those types of plasma storms are a common occurrence here, is _here_ really where we want to stay?” Her eyes went wide. Clearly she hadn’t thought of that eventuality. “Anyways, I started going over the scans that Harry did of the planet before we beamed down, looking at current and past weather patterns, and looking for perhaps a better spot to set up our shelter.”

Kathryn stood up, moving behind Chakotay to look over his shoulder, “And what have you found?” He pointed at a spot towards the north end of the currently visible map.

“This is where we are, and according to Harry’s findings, this entire area is right on the edge of this polarizing plasma field. It moves to the north during the summer, but then heads south again during winter. I’m afraid we wouldn’t survive the winter months if that weather became something constant. Starfleet housing is solid, but it’s not _that_ solid.” Kathryn nodded, shuddering at the thought of having to go through a storm like that again, let alone regularly.

“And I’m assuming you’ve found a more desirable location?” She scoured the map before them, eager to see what he’d found, but it was zoomed in too much to see anything other than where they were currently living.

“Well, I’ve found several, but I think only one will ultimately work out.” He zoomed the map out and moved it south, closer to the equator of the planet. “There was an area farther north, but it’s nearly completely covered in snow year round. It doesn’t actually seem to snow that much, but it never warms enough for the snow to fully melt. Another area farther to the west seems alright, but very arid and not conducive to gardening or much of any kind of plant and animal life.”

“Well, I’ve never been a fan of winter, and not being able to garden will be a problem. The replicator won’t last forever.” Kathryn studied the map before her, trying to figure out what Chakotay had in mind. “So, what have you found, Commander?” Her lips quirked up on one side.

“Well, there’s a location on this same continent, but much farther south. Here,” he pointed at a spot on the map, zooming it in so she could see it better. “It’s near the ocean, and the climate seems to resemble Earth’s Caribbean region. The plasma storms don’t dip that far south, and the temperature seems to range right around twenty to twenty five degrees year round. There’s a large rock outcropping that would make a good spot to set up the shelter, and there’s a river nearby for drinking water. Resources seem plentiful, and we wouldn’t have to worry about snow, ice and whatnot...and we’d only have to contend with rain. No plasma storms.” He’d been pointing out areas on the map, but now turned to see Kathryn’s face, watching for her reaction to his plan. He bit his bottom lip, “What do you think?”

Kathryn looked at the man before her; he’d done nothing but help to make their lives better from the second they’d found out that they couldn’t leave. He’d done the cooking and majority of the cleaning, and making their home liveable so that she could focus on finding a cure for the virus. Hell, he’d built her a bathtub with his bare hands to help her relax and work out whatever she was needing to work out at the time. And the moment another obstacle had befallen them, in this case a plasma storm, he was immediately looking for solutions. Though this time it wasn’t to help her in her work...this time it was to help them survive. With a smile, she covered his hand with her own, the warmth of his skin making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “I think we should bring the shuttle closer and start packing up all we can. Sounds like we’re changing addresses.”

Chakotay smiled with a nod before powering on the engines, preparing to fly them closer to their shelter. There were lots of big pieces they would need to disassemble and load up, and it wouldn’t do to carry them several hundred meters. Kathryn moved to the navigation console, powering on her computer before closing the back hatch and activating take off thrusters. Chakotay pulled up the navigation screen, inputting the coordinates for a landing closer to their shelter. After lifting off, they worked in tandem to fly the shuttle, and in less than a minute, they were landing in a clearing just a few dozen feet from Kathryn’s bathtub. A pang of longing went through her as she powered off the engines. There was no way to disassemble the tub, and it wouldn’t fit in the shuttle. She would have to leave it behind.

“If you want to begin packing up items inside the house, I’ll start taking the walls apart. We have most of the day to work, and I think we should be able to get it all done. We might have to sleep in the shuttle tonight, but I think tear down will go a lot faster than putting it all together.” Chakotay moved from his console, but Kathryn caught him by the hand, standing up in front of him to stall his movements. His eyes searched hers in question, but was put at ease when she smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Thank you, Chakotay. You’ve done so much here to make our lives easier...better. I haven’t properly thanked you,” she leaned up on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “Thank you.”

Chakotay’s dimples framed his lips as he smiled, a warmth he hadn’t dared hope for began to pool in his belly at Kathryn’s nearness and the way she smiled up at him.

He’d do anything for this woman.

=/\=

They worked through the late morning and into the early afternoon. Kathryn had all of the dishes, pots and pans packaged and loaded into crates. She’d packed her clothes and the belongings she’d brought down to the planet; namely her books and her phonograph. Chakotay had pulled the tarp back off the roof and had begun to salvage what he could of the roofing material. Several deep gouges had rendered many of the panels useless, but about two thirds of them could be reused.

Kathryn carefully packed and put away Chakotay’s art supplies, taking a few minutes to truly admire all of the beautiful work he’d created in the few weeks they’d been here. His sand art and etchings were only the beginning of what he’d created. He’d carved several large bowls out of the local wood he’d scavenged. One of them sat on their kitchen table, full of fruit that he’d gathered. There was already a wooden etching hanging on the wall above the entry to his sleeping area, and though she didn’t know what the symbols meant, it set her at ease as she looked at it. He’d also made headboards for them both, though he hadn’t had time to affix them to the beds as of yet. He’d also sculpted a small vase out of the same stone that he’d carved her bathtub, and it sat on the table as well, always full of flowers from the meadow.

While she’d spent hour upon hour searching for a cure for the virus, Chakotay had been building a life and a home for them here. Her heart clenched at how much he’d done to make her comfortable here.

He must have known that they would never be leaving this planet, and it had nothing to do with her scientific abilities in finding and synthesizing a cure for their illness, and more to do with the fact that Chakotay was able to make a home anywhere; on a Maquis raider, on a Starfleet vessel...on a lonely M-class planet in the Delta quadrant where no human would probably ever set foot again. While she had been busy surviving, Chakotay had been living.

Kathryn decided then and there that she was done surviving. Feeling a smile tug her lips as she carefully packed Chakotay’s etching away, she knew that she was finally ready to start living too.


End file.
